Trenitalia Kiosks: Anyone else noticed this?

Laurel, Thanks, that may well be what it is. I thought about getting a chip & pin next time I am back in the States (em dash) someone posted a link once to a particular credit union in Maryland (I think) that issues them. Especially since, even though they might not be totally required yet here in Italy, apparently they are more common now in other parts of Europe, and I do travel a fair amount around Europe. Maybe this is another incentive for getting that type of card.

Frank, Yeah, whether it's single dashes or double ones, whenever I type them, they disappear once my message is posted. Once recently I got it to work, but I don't know how. Maybe I should report a bug to the webmaster.

I just returned and was also not able to use my CC to purchase train tickets through the kiosks. It kept asking for my PIN, which I didn't have (and don't even know if one exists for my CC). I ended up paying cash for all of my tickets instead, which was not ideal, but better than waiting in line at a ticket window. I'm also assuming it is a Chip and PIN thing.

Not sure what an em dash is. But - or --- dashes work fine for me.

Could your pin problem be related to the Chip & Pin credit cards? The Kiosk may only accept Chip & Pin cards and as a default is asking for your pin.

Bryan: Cap One worked for us on Trenitalia last December, but while I havn't tried it on Trenitalia since then, I am noticing trouble with it at large retailers like IKEA. Chip & PIN seems to be more and more required. Thinking of asking Cap One to issue C&P card as Cap One is the best deal going for overseas transactions.

Is it dashes like - = - = - = - = - = -- == -- == --- === --- === --- _____________________ ?

Weird! It won't work for me! Are you all using Macs? (I am using a PC.)

Mine's a Samsung NC10Plus Netbook, Windows 7 Starter, but the big key may be that my browser is Google Chrome.

Hmmm, I'm using Firefox. I'll fire up Chrome here in a little bit and see if that makes the difference!

Testing - dashes on -- Chrome!! --

Ha! How about that. Yet another reason to get rid of Firefox! Thanks to those who helped me diagnose this little technical matter, and for all who pointed out that it is likely a Chip/Pin issue with those kiosks.

It absolutely is a Chip and Pin issue. I have a UK issued Chip and Pin Visa, and it works just fine in these machines. I contacted the Capital One folks, and the folks at Chase Visa, and was told that "it's not a problem, because the companies are required by Visa to also provide the ability to swipe the card and sign your signature". Utter rubbish. I asked the folks at Chase Visa if they'd ever actually travelled to Europe. At our station in Perugia, when the ticket office is shut, it's shut...and you either have chip and Pin for the machine, or you are not buying a ticket. It's worth noting we had the same issue in France on a Sunday trying to buy gasoline. Simply everywhere was shut, and the only way to buy gasoline was with Chip and Pin, which I thankfully had. So, in sum, when your US credit card company tells you that you don't need Chip and Pin, they are correct only if you don't need train tickets and gasoline at off-hours. Cheers!

Wow. I had heard this about gas stations, but not train ticket kiosks.

Bryan, Regarding the "dashes issue"..... It shouldn't matter in the least whether one is using a PC or Mac, as both platforms will use standard ASCII codes for representing each character. The only possibility I can think of, is that something is happening with data transmission from your particular internet provider in Europe, which possibly doesn't "agree" with the parameters of this website. Regarding the ticket purchasing issue..... The inexorable change to "C&P" technology may finally be happening in Italy. If the POS terminals in the ticket Kiosks have been upgraded recently, they may now "expect" a PIN with every transaction. All credit cards should have a PIN, even if they're the older magnetic stripe models, so you could try entering that and see what happens. When I was in Italy last year, the ticket Kiosks never asked for a PIN, which meant they were using only the magnetic stripe to process the transaction (even though all my cards are C&P types). It sounds like something has changed since then? Cheers!

@David, "I contacted the Capital One folks, and the folks at Chase Visa, and was told that "it's not a problem, because the companies are required by Visa to also provide the ability to swipe the card and sign your signature"." I most definitely agree, that's utter rubbish! The folks you were speaking with should try buying a rail ticket at Amsterdam Central, where they have signs clearly displayed on each ticket booth stating "Chip & PIN" cards ONLY! I observed a number of American travellers being turned away from the windows when I was there last year. They had to find the nearest ATM and then return to stand at the end of a very long queue. Cheers!

I called my credit card company and told them I was traveling to Italy. They noted the days and also gave me a 4 digit pin number to use in transactions and machines. I haven't tried it yet - hope it will work.
If you have a way to contact your bank/credit card company - perhaps they could issue you a PIN that will help out.

I would check with your credit card company to confirm that if by using a PIN, you are now authorizing a Cash withdrawal instead of a charge. This could be expensive as you will likely pay a minimum cash withdrawal fee, but interest on your balance until the 2nd cycle after you've paid your bill in full. How would the bank know you want to charge instead of a cash advance?
Last year when we went to Europe I ordered 200 euros on a Travel ex Chip and pin card in the event we ran into this very problem, especially at a gas station. We didn't, but I will take the card next trip for the same reason. (Not a great exchange rate, solves the issues mentioned previously).

(Ken and others interested in the "dash issue": I emailed the webmaster, who confirmed that it was a bug and that software updates down the road will fix it.)

Just got back from Italy. I, too, couldn't use my Capital One credit card at the Trenitalia kiosks, even though I thought I knew the PIN. I tested it at an ATM in the US, as if I wanted to take out cash. I didn't actually take out cash, because there are fees for doing this on a credit card, but I got to that point after entering a PIN, so I thought I knew it. But the Trenitalia kiosks wouldn't accept it. I should have called Capital One to confirm my PIN, but I still doubt it would have worked. However, my TD Bank checking account debit card worked just fine with its PIN (and they don't charge foreign transaction fees) so all was well. But this proves that the kiosks WILL accept non-chip&PIN cards.

Thanks Cathy, great to know. In any case, I'll avoid using my debit card, as my bank DOES charge the foreign transaction fees on Visa debit purchases. Hoping to get a proper chip-and-pin card with no transaction fees when I am back to the States for a visit next. For the record, for those who are interested, this page has some great information on how to get a chip-and-pin in the US. Unfortunately, the card does have a foreign transaction fee, but at 1% it is lower than most.
http://victoria-hawkins.com/archives/744